Shane To Meet Barack – June 15, 2011

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Arcata City Councilmember Shane Brinton will travel to Washington, D.C. Friday to meet with members of the Obama administration and attend an intimate reception with the president. Brinton is one of a small number of members of the Young Elected Officials Network, a national network of young progressives in elected office, who were invited to the White House to discuss important issues facing states and localities.

“I’m particularly eager to hear the administration’s plans for federal housing programs over the next few years,” said Brinton. “These are tough times for working families here on the North Coast and around the country. It is more important than ever that we invest in successful housing programs like HOME and CDBG, rather than slashing them. I am grateful for this opportunity to represent our community in Washington, D.C. and I want to make sure our concerns are heard.”

The Young Elected Officials Network, a project of People For the American Way Foundation, provides support and training for over 600 progressive state, county and city elected officials from all 50 states.

“We are thrilled to be able to take the observations and concerns of so many young, progressive elected officials to President Obama and the Administration,” said Andrew Gillum, executive director of the Young Elected Officials Network. “These young leaders are on the front lines of progressive change, fighting for the values of fairness, equality and opportunity in their home communities.”

Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, president of the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, also received an invitation from President Obama. Sopoci-Belknap is an active member of the Young Elected Officials Network, but she is unable to travel to Washington, D.C. due to prior work obligations.